Titans display confidence in rookie with latest depth chart
Tennessee Titans rookie CB Roger McCreary has given his coaches a lot of confidence in him with his play throughout training camp. A second round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, McCreary entered Titans camp with a unique opportunity to earn a starting role in the Titans secondary as a rookie. Outside of Kristian Fulton, […]
Tennessee Titans rookie CB Roger McCreary has given his coaches a lot of confidence in him with his play throughout training camp.
A second round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, McCreary entered Titans camp with a unique opportunity to earn a starting role in the Titans secondary as a rookie.
Outside of Kristian Fulton, the Titans cornerback room contained a lot of question marks, and the CB2 spot was still up in the air. McCreary's biggest competition for the spot came in second-year CB Caleb Farley, who was the Titans' first round pick in 2021 before tearing his ACL last season.
While the starting spot may have been up for grabs entering camp, it certainly doesn't feel that way now. Consistent strong performances led to McCreary getting regular first team reps in practice, and now, as the team's season depth chart has been released, it appears the rookie has officially won the job:
While some were critical of McCreary's size coming out of college at Auburn, it hasn't seemed to be much of a hindrance thus far at the NFL level.
McCreary has the versatility to play anywhere, with excellent quickness and good physicality as the ball arrives. He's not afraid to rough up an opposing wide receiver, making him dangerous in press man coverage.
While he has tended to give up some separation during route break points, his awareness and speed allow him to close quickly and disrupt most plays in front of him.
That closing speed is something he demonstrated regularly in college while going against some of the best wide receivers in the country.
McCreary did not take many reps during preseason games. He didn't even dress for the finale against the Arizona Cardinals.
That's a testament to the Titans coaching staff feeling strongly that he didn't need a ton of in-game work to get ready for the regular season.
In their eyes, he's already a starting caliber cornerback in the NFL. The depth chart is just a reflection of that and their plans to have him lock down a place in the secondary moving forward.
That should excite every Titans fans. Tennessee may have struck gold.
Image via George Walker IV / Tennessean.com-USA TODAY NETWORK
